Door closing mechanism

ABSTRACT

A camming member for a door may have a camming surface which lifts the door as the door is traversed from an opened position to a closed position. The lifting movement of the door caused by the camming member facilitates one or more latches used to reinforce a periphery of the door to be engaged without further user intervention.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation in part application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/700,900, filed on Apr. 30, 2015 whichclaims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/043,102, filed on Aug. 28, 2013, the disclosures of whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a door closing mechanism for a petcrate.

Prior art pet crates have been designed so that the pet crate has anopening through which a pet may enter or exit the pet crate. The openingalso has a door that can be traversed to an opened position or a closedposition. In the opened position, the door is traversed away from theopening so that the pet can freely enter or exit the pet crate. In theclosed position, the door is disposed so as to cover the opening andprevent the pet from entering or exiting the pet crate. Typically, thesedoors are secured to the closed position with a single lock.Unfortunately, these systems do not reinforce the entire door about itsperiphery.

Systems have been created in order to reinforce the periphery of thedoor so that the animal cannot bend an unreinforced portion of the doorto escape. Unfortunately, these systems may have certain deficienciesthat complicate operation of the door.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved door closingmechanism.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The various embodiments disclosed herein address the needs discussedabove, discussed below and those that are known in the art.

The various embodiments relate to a vertical wall having a panel and adoor. The panel and the door are fabricated from a plurality ofinterconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods. The horizontal andvertical wire rods of the panel are arranged so as to provide for anopening through which an animal may proceed in order to pass through thepanel. The door is hinged to one of the vertical wire rods of the paneland is traversable between a closed position and an opened position. Inthe opened position, the animal may proceed through the opening of thepanel. In the closed position, the door is disposed in front of theopening and covers the opening so that the animal may not proceedthrough the opening of the panel.

The panel may be secured to the door with a latch. The latch requiresthe door to be lifted upward when closing or opening the door. The latchmay be one of the embodiments (inverted hooks, upright hooks, invertedtabs, upright tabs) described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/045,035 the entire contents of which are expressly incorporatedherein by reference. In order to lift the door as the door is rotatedfrom the opened position to the closed position, the door and/or panelmay be fitted with a camming member. The camming member has a cammingsurface which engages one of the horizontal wire rods of the panel ordoor as the door is traversed from the opened position to the closedposition. Alternatively or additionally, the camming member may be partof a camming system comprised of first and second camming members, eachhaving a camming surface which slides against each other as the door istraversed from the opened position to the closed position. In thismanner, the handler need not lift the door then rotate the door in orderto traverse the door from the opened position to the closed position.Rather, the trainer need only swing the door toward the closed position.The trainer can just push the door closed. The camming member lifts thedoor upward until the door contacts the panel. At which time, thecamming member allows the door to be dropped downward so that the latchmay be engaged to reinforce the door in the closed position. In order tokeep the door in the closed position, a lock may be engaged to preventupward traversal of the door. A plurality of latches may be disposed ata plurality of positions around the door to strengthen the door.

More particularly, a vertical wall comprising a panel, a door, a cammingmember and a latch is discussed. The panel may be fabricated from aplurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods. Theplurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods may bearranged to form an opening for allowing an animal to pass through thepanel. The door may be fabricated from a plurality of interconnectedhorizontal and vertical wire rods. The door may be pivotally hinged to afirst vertical wire rod of the panel and traversable between a closedposition and a closed position. The door may be sufficiently large tocover the opening to block the opening and prevent the animal frompassing through the opening of the panel when the door is in the closedposition. The animal may be capable of passing through the opening whenthe door is in the opened position.

The camming member may be attached to a first horizontal wire rod of thedoor adjacent to the first vertical wire rod of the panel so that acamming surface of the camming member slides against a first horizontalwire rod of the panel or a camming surface of a second camming memberattached to the panel as the door is traversed from the opened positionto the closed position to lift the door upward. The latch may be mountedto the panel or door which allows the door to be pivoted to the openedor closed position only by lifting the door upward to disengage thelatch.

The panel may be one of a plurality of panels that form a pet crate or aplay pen for an animal.

The camming member may have first and second mounting members. The firstmounting member may be fixedly attached to the first horizontal wire rodof the door. The second mounting member may be pivotally attached to thefirst vertical wire rod of the panel.

The second mounting member may have a C shaped slot. The C shaped slotmay have an inner cavity that is equal to or larger than an outerdiameter of the first vertical wire rod of the panel so that the cammingmember may be snapped onto the first vertical wire rod of the panel andbe pivotally hinged thereto.

The camming member may extend from a portion of the first horizontalwire rod of the door wrapped around the first vertical wire rod of thepanel.

The latch may be an inverted hook, upright hook, inverted tab or anupright tab.

The camming surface of the camming member may lift the door upward to atleast a point so that the latch clears a horizontal wire rod of the dooror panel.

The camming member may be closer to the first vertical wire rod of thepanel compared to a free distal end of the door.

The second camming member may be fixedly attached to one of thehorizontal wire rods of the panel and the first vertical wire rod of thepanel. If a second camming member is utilized, then the camming surfacesof the first and second camming members slide against each other as thedoor is rotated from the opened position to the closed position.

In another aspect, a vertical wall may have a panel, a door, a cammingmember and a latch. The panel may be fabricated from a plurality ofinterconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods. The plurality ofinterconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods may be arranged to forman opening for allowing an animal to pass through the panel. The doormay be fabricated from a plurality of interconnected horizontal andvertical wire rods. The door may be pivotally hinged to a first verticalwire rod of the panel and traversable between a closed position and aclosed position. The door may be sufficiently large to cover the openingto block the opening and prevent the animal from passing through theopening of the panel when the door is in the closed position. The animalmay be capable of passing through the opening when the door is in theopened position.

A camming member may be attached to the panel so that a first horizontalwire rod of the door slides against a first ramp of the camming memberas the door is traversed from the opened position to the closed positionto lift the door upward. The latch may be mounted to the panel or doorwhich allows the door to be pivoted to the opened position only bylifting the door upward to disengage the latch.

The camming member may have an inverted ramp attached to the first rampso that the inverted ramp allows the first horizontal wire rod of thedoor to fall downward to engage the latch. The camming member may bedisposed closer to a distal end of the door than the first vertical wirerod of the panel.

In another aspect, a vertical wall is disclosed comprising a panel, adoor, a first camming member and a latch. The panel may be fabricatedfrom a plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods.The plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods may bearranged to form an opening for allowing an animal to pass through thepanel. The door may be fabricated from a plurality of interconnectedhorizontal and vertical wire rods. The door may be pivotally hinged to afirst vertical wire rod of the panel and traversable between a closedposition and a closed position. The door may be sufficiently large tocover the opening to block the opening and prevent the animal frompassing through the opening of the panel when the door is in the closedposition. The animal may be capable of passing through the opening whenthe door is in the opened position.

The first camming member may be formed from a distal end portion of afirst horizontal wire rod of the door adjacent to the first verticalwire rod of the panel so that a bottom surface of the distal end portionof the first horizontal wire rod defines a camming surface of the firstcamming member that slides against a first horizontal wire rod of thepanel as the door is traversed from the opened position to the closedposition to lift the door upward.

The latch may be mounted to the panel or door which allows the door tobe pivoted to the opened or closed position only by lifting the doorupward to disengage the latch.

The panel may be one of a plurality of panels that form a pet crate or aplay pen for an animal.

The distal end portion of the first horizontal wire rod of the door thatforms the first camming member may be bent to gradually extend downward.The first horizontal wire rod of the door may also wrapped around thefirst vertical wire rod of the panel. The distal end portion of thefirst horizontal wire rod of the door may define the camming surface.The first camming member may lift the door upward to at least a point sothat the latch clears a horizontal wire rod of the door or panel. Thefirst camming member may be closer to the first vertical wire rod of thepanel compared to a free distal end of the door.

The latch may be an inverted hook, upright hook, inverted tab or anupright tab.

The vertical wall may further comprise a clip defining a first portionrotatably attached to a horizontal wire rod of the panel and a secondopposed portion removably attachable to a horizontal wire rod of thedoor. The second portion of the clip may be curved or bent so that thehorizontal wire rod of the door is traversed over center of the secondportion of the clip when the clip is traversed between an engagedposition and a disengaged position.

Conversely, the vertical wall may further comprise a clip defining afirst portion rotatably attached to a horizontal wire rod of the doorand a second opposed portion removably attachable to a horizontal wirerod of the panel. The second portion of the clip may be curved or bentso that the horizontal wire rod of the panel is traversed over center ofthe second portion of the clip when the clip is traversed between anengaged position and a disengaged position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pet crate illustrating a first variantof a first embodiment of the camming member for lifting a door upward asthe door is traversed from an opened position to a closed position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the camming member shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the door as it is being traversed to the closedposition;

FIG. 4 illustrates the door as it is being further traversed to theclosed position;

FIG. 5 illustrates the door when being placed against a panelimmediately before being traversed downward to the closed position;

FIG. 6 illustrates the door in the closed position;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the camming member shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a pet crate illustrating a secondvariant of the first embodiment of the camming member for lifting a doorupward as the door is traversed from an opened position to a closedposition;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged perspective view of the camming member shown inFIG. 1A;

FIG. 3A illustrates the door as it is being traversed to the closedposition;

FIG. 4A illustrates the door as it is being further traversed to theclosed position;

FIG. 5A illustrates the door when being placed against a panelimmediately before being traversed downward to the closed position;

FIG. 6A illustrates the door in the closed position;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the camming member shown in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 8A is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 9A is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a second embodiment of thecamming member;

FIG. 11 illustrates the door as it is being traversed to the closedposition;

FIG. 12 illustrates the door as it is being further traversed to theclosed position;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the second embodiment ofthe camming member shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged front perspective view of the second embodimentof the camming member shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the camming member when the door isplaced parallel to the panel and the door is lifted vertically upwardimmediately before being traversed downward to the closed position;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the camming member when the door is inthe closed position;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the camming member shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the pet crate having a third embodimentof the camming member;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the third embodiment ofcamming member as the door interacts with the camming member;

FIG. 21 illustrates the door being lifted upward as the door interactswith the ramp of the camming member;

FIG. 22 illustrates the door being traversed to the closed position;

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth embodiment of acamming system;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the camming system shown in FIG. 23mounted to a door and panel with the door in an opened position;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the camming system, door and panelshown in FIG. 24 as the door is being traversed to the closed position;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the camming system, door and panelshown in FIG. 25 as the door is being further traversed to the closedposition;

FIG. 27 is a front view of the camming system, door and panelimmediately prior to the door being dropped down to the closed position;

FIG. 28 is a side view of the camming system, door and panel shown inFIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a front view of the camming system, door and panel shown inFIG. 27 when the door is dropped down to the closed position;

FIG. 30 is a side view of the camming system, door panel shown in FIG.29;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the first camming member;

FIG. 32 is a front view of the first camming member shown in FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a side view of the first camming member shown in FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a bottom view of the first camming member shown in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the second camming member;

FIG. 36 is a ride side view of the second camming member shown in FIG.35;

FIG. 37 is a bottom view of the second camming member shown in FIG. 36;

FIG. 38 is a left side view of the second camming member shown in FIG.36;

FIG. 39 is a sectional perspective view of the pet crate illustrating aclip for holding the door in the closed position when the clip is in anengaged position for allow the door to be traversed to the openedposition when the clip is in a disengaged position;

FIG. 40 is an illustration of the clip in the disengaged position toallow the door to be traversed from the closed position to the openedposition; and

FIG. 41 is an illustration of the clip in the engaged position tomaintain the door in the closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a camming member 10, 10 a, 100, 200, 300is shown for lifting the door 12 vertically upward as the door 12 istraversed from an opened position (see FIGS. 1, 1A, 10 and 19) to aclosed position (see FIGS. 6, 6A, 17 and 22). The door 12 must bevertically raised in order to engage a latch 14 that holds the door 12in the closed position and against the panel 16. The camming member 10,10 a, 100, 200, 300 slides against the horizontal wire rod 20 of thepanel 16, the horizontal wire rod 18 of the door 12 or a second cammingmember 304 to lift the door 12 upward so that the latch 14 can beengaged. In this manner, the handler need only push the door 12 to theclosed position without lifting the door 12 upward. The camming member10, 10 a, 100, 200, 300 is operative to lift the door 12 upward so thatthe latch 14 may be traversed to the engaged position. This greatlysimplifies operation of the latch 14. The handler need not lift the door12 to close the door 12.

The camming member 10, 10 a, 100, 200, 300 may be incorporated into adoor 12 and a panel 16 having an opening 22 provided for the ingress oregress of an animal through the opening 22. The panel 16 may be one of aplurality of panels that form a pet crate 24 or may be a panel that iswedged between two walls or may be incorporated into a plurality ofpanels that form a playpen. The panel 16 and the door 12 may befabricated from a plurality of horizontal and vertical wire rods 26, 30and 28, 32. Two or more of the horizontal wire rods 30 of the door 12may be wrapped around vertical wire rod 28 a of the panel 16 so that thedoor 12 can pivot about the vertical wire rod 28 a of the panel 16. Thevertical wire rod 28 a defines a pivot axis of the door 12.

The latch 14 is shown as being an inverted hook that engages thehorizontal wire rod 20 of the panel 16 when the latch 14 is in theengaged position. The latch 14 may also be an upright hook, upright tabor inverted tab as further described in the U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/045,035 which was filed on Mar. 10, 2011, the entire contents ofwhich is expressly incorporated herein by reference. As discussed inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/045,035, to engage or disengage thelatch 14, the door must be lifted upward so that the latch clears therespective horizontal wire rod of the panel or door. In order to assistin the lifting of the door when traversing the door from the openedposition to the closed position, the camming member 10, 10A, 100, 200,300 may be incorporated into a door 12 and panel 16 having any one ofthe inverted hooks, upright clips, inverted tabs or upright tabs asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/045,035. The followingdiscussion of the camming member 10, 100, 200, 300 has been described inrelation to the inverted hook configuration of the latch 14 for thepurpose of clarity but the other configurations of the latch 14 are alsocontemplated.

More particularly, referring now to FIGS. 1-9 and FIGS. 1A-9A, anembodiment of the camming member 10, 10 a are shown as two differentvariants. The variant shown in FIGS. 1-9 forms the camming surface 34with a camming member 10 which may be attached (e.g., welded to) to thehorizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12. In contrast, the camming surface34 a is formed form the distal end portion of the horizontal wire rod 30of the door 12. The camming member 10, 10 a facilitates lift of the door12 as the door 12 is being rotated from the opened position (see FIGS. 2and 2A) toward the closed position (see FIGS. 3, 3A and 4, 4A). Inparticular, in FIGS. 1-9, the camming member 10 is shown as beingattached to a portion of the horizontal wire rod 30 wrapped around thevertical wire rod 28 a of the panel 16, as shown in FIG. 2. In FIGS.1A-9A, the camming member 10 is a distal end portion of the horizontalwire rod 30 which is shaped to form the camming surface 34 a. Thecamming member 10, 10 a may be attached to the horizontal wire rod 30 ofthe door 12 in a manner to extend downward or bent or shaped to extenddownward. When the door 12 is in the opened position, the camming member10, 10 a need not contact the horizontal wire rod 20 of the panel 16.When the door 12 is rotated slightly inward, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A,the camming member 10, 10 a may gradually engage the horizontal wire rod20 of the panel 16 more and more as shown in the progression illustratedin FIGS. 3, 3A and 4, 4A.

The camming member 10 may define a camming surface 34, 34 a. The cammingsurface 34, 34 a may be defined as a smooth gradually increasing curvedsurface. It is the camming surface 34, 34 a that contacts the horizontalwire rod 20 of the panel 16 in order to lift the door 12 upward as thedoor 12 is traversed from the opened position to the closed position.The camming surface 34, 34 a initially starts out in line with thehorizontal wire rod 30. The horizontal wire rod 30 then gradually movesdownward on the camming surface 34, 34 a. In this manner, when the door12 is wide open, the camming member 10 either does not contact thehorizontal wire rod 20 of the panel 16 or does not lift the door 12significantly upward.

As the door 12 is rotated toward the closed position, the horizontalwire rod 20 engages the camming surface 34, 34 a further so as to liftthe door 12 upward. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 4A, right before thedoor 12 reaches the closed position, the distal tip 36, 36 a of thecamming surface 34, 34 a contacts the horizontal wire rod 20 with whichthe camming surface 34, 34 a engages. At this point, the latches 14 thatare disposed about the door 12 or panel 16 clear the respectivehorizontal wire rods 26 of the panel 16 with which the latches 14 willengage.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9 and 5A-9A, operation of the door 12 as soonas the distal tip 36, 36 a of the camming surface 34, 34 a passes thehorizontal wire rod 20 of the panel is shown. In particular, once thedistal tip 36, 36 a of the camming surface 34, 34 a passes thehorizontal wire rod 20, the door 12 is free to fall downward in thedirection of arrow 38 (see FIGS. 8 and 8A). Once the door 12 fallsdownward, the latches 14 are traversed to the engaged position so thatthe pet behind the door 12 cannot merely push the door 12 open. The petmust lift the door 12 upward then push outwards in order to open thedoor 12. In order to prevent the pet from lifting and pushing the door12 open, a lock 40 may be used to prevent further movement of the door12. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the camming surface 34 of the camming member 10has a vertical surface 42 after the distal tip 36. A gap 44 existbetween the vertical surface 42 of the camming member 10 and a rearsurface 46 of the vertical wire rod 32 of the door 12. In FIGS. 8a and9A, a vertical plane extending vertically from the end of the distal tip36 a defines a gap 44 a with the rear surface 46 of the vertical wirerod 32 of the door 12. After the distal tip 36 passes the horizontalwire rod 20, the horizontal wire rod is received into the gap 44, asshown in FIGS. 9 and 9A to allow the door 12 to move downward so thatthe latches 14 may be traversed to the engaged position.

In the variant shown in FIGS. 1-9, the camming member 10 may be attachedto the portion of the horizontal wire rod 30 that is wrapped around thevertical wire rod 28 a of the panel 16 by various means known in theart. By way of example and not limitation, the camming member 10 may bewelded to the portion of the horizontal wire rod 30 that is wrappedaround the vertical wire rod 28 a of the panel 16. In the alternatevariant shown in FIGS. 1A-9A, the distal end portion of the horizontalwire rod 30 is shaped and bent to form the camming surface 34 a byvarious means known in the art.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-18, a second embodiment of the camming member100 is shown. The camming member 100 may be attached to the horizontalwire rod 30 of the door 12 and the vertical wire rod 28 a of the panel16. In particular, the camming member 100 may have first and secondmounting members 150, 152 (see FIG. 13). The first mounting member 150may extend horizontally outward and have an aperture 154 that is sizedand configured to receive the horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12. Inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-9 and 1A-9A, each of the horizontal wirerods 30 of the door 12 has a portion that is wrapped around the verticalwire rod 28 a of the panel 16. However, in this second embodiment of thecamming member 100, the horizontal wire rod 30 that engages the cammingmember 100 is not wrapped around the vertical wire rod 28. Instead, thehorizontal wire rod 30 protrudes straight into the aperture 154 of thefirst mounting member 150. The horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12 maybe retained within the aperture 154 by way of a friction fittherebetween or with an adhesive or other welding procedure. The secondmounting member 152 is perpendicular to the first mounting member 150.Moreover, the second mounting member 152 may have a C-channel slot 156that extends vertically upward. The slot 156 receives the vertical wirerod 28 a of the panel 16. In particular, the slot 156 may have anentrance defining a width 157 which is smaller than an outer diameter ofthe wire rod 28 a. The slot 156 may have an inner diameter 159 which isequal to or slightly larger (e.g., 0.001 to 0.10 inch) greater than anouter diameter of the wire rod 28 a. In this way, the second mountingmember 152 may be snapped over the vertical wire rod 28 a. Also, thevertical wire rod 28 a rotates within the slot 156 as the door is beingrotated between closed and opened positions.

The camming member 100 may also have a camming section 158. The cammingsection 158 may also have a camming surface 134. The camming surface 34may be defined as a smooth gradually increasing curved surface. As thedoor 12 is rotated from the opened position (see FIG. 10) to the closedposition (see FIGS. 12, 17 and 18), the camming surface 134 engages thehorizontal wire rod 20 of the panel 16. As the door 12 approaches thepanel 16, the horizontal wire rod 20 of the panel 16 rides on a distaltip 136 of the camming surface 134. At this point, the door 12 is liftedas high as it will go with the camming member 100 and the latches 14 arein position to be traversed to the engaged position. The camming member100 may be fabricated from a hard plastic material through injectionmolding or 3-D printing.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-18, once the horizontal wire rod 20 passes adistal tip 136 of the camming surface 134, the door 12 is allowed tofall downward in the direction of arrow 160 until the door 12 is in theclosed position and the latches 14 are in the engaged position. Afterthe distal tip 136 of the camming surface 134, the camming section 158has a vertical surface 142 that defines a gap 144 between the verticalsurface 142 of the camming section 134 and a rear surface 46 of thevertical wire rod 32. The horizontal wire rod 20 is received into thegap 144, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-22, the third embodiment of the camming member200 is shown. The camming member 200 may be fixed to the panel 16. InFIG. 19, the camming member 200 is shown as being fixed to a lowerportion of the panel 16. The camming member 200 may be fabricated from awire rod and be welded to the wire rods of the panel. The camming member200 may be disposed anywhere about the opening 22 in the panel 16.Preferably, the camming member 200 is disposed at the opposite side ofthe pivot axis of the door 12. The camming member 200 slides against ahorizontal wire rod 18 of the door 12 so as to lift the door 12 upwardas the door 12 is pivoted from the opened position to the closedposition so that the latches 14 may be traversed to the engaged positionas shown FIG. 22.

When the door 12 is in the opened position, the door 12 is not liftedupward, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. When the door 12 is traversedtoward the closed position, or toward the panel 16 by rotating the door12 about its pivot axis, the horizontal wire rod 18 of the door 12engages a ramp 262 of the camming member 200. As the door 12 movescloser to the panel 16, the door 12 moves upward in the direction ofarrow 260, as shown in FIG. 21. At this point, the latch 14 is inposition to be traversed to the engaged position as shown in FIG. 22. Asthe door 12 moves closer to the panel 16, the ramp section 262 isconnected to an inverted ramp 264 that allows the door 12 to movedownward in direction of arrow 266 at which point the latches 14 are inthe engaged position. The door 12 is now in the closed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 23-30, a fourth embodiment of a camming system300 is shown. The camming system 300 is shown as being attached at onepoint on vertical wire rod 28 a. However, it is also contemplated thatthe camming system 300 may be disposed at two or more locations on thevertical wire rod. The camming system 300 comprises a first cammingmember 302 fixedly attached to the door 12 and a second camming member304 fixedly attached to the panel 16. Each of the first and secondcamming members 302, 304 has a camming surface 334 a, b which slide andmate with each other during rotation of the door 12 about the verticalwire rod 28 a in order to smoothly lift the door 12 from a lowerposition (see FIG. 24) to an elevated position (see FIGS. 26-28) thenback down to a lowered position (see FIGS. 29-30) to engage the latch 14disposed at one or more locations about the periphery of the door 12and/or periphery of the opening 22 formed in the panel 16.

The first camming member 302 may have two different slots 366 a, b, asshown in FIGS. 23 and 32-34. The slot 366 a receives the vertical wirerod 28 a of the panel 16. The slot 366 b receives the horizontal wirerod 30 of the door 12. As the door 12 rotates about the vertical wirerod 28 a of panel 16, the first camming member 302 rotates in sync withthe door 12. The slot 366 a may have an entrance having a width 368which is greater than an outer diameter of the wire rod 28 a. The slot366 a may converge to a choke point having a width 370 that is smallerthan the outer diameter of the wire rod 28 a. The slot 366 a may have acylindrical cavity having an inner diameter 372 (See FIGS. 23 and 34)which is greater than the outer diameter of the vertical wire rod 28 a.In this manner, the first camming member 302 may be slid over thevertical wire rod 28 a and snapped thereover so that the first cammingmember 302 can rotate about the vertical wire rod 28 a. The other slot366 b may be sized and configured to loosely fit the horizontal wire rod30 of the door 12. In this regard, the slot 366 b may have an entrancethat does not narrow down to a choke point as in the slot 366 a. Thefirst camming member 302 may be lifted up and down to remove thehorizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12 or reinsert the horizontal wirerod 30 of the door 12 back into the slot 366 b. The slots 366 a, b maybe oriented perpendicular to each other for receiving the vertical wirerod 28 a and the horizontal wire rod 30 the door 12.

In order to hold the first camming member 302 in position so that thehorizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12 is maintained within the slot 366b, a spacer 374 may be disposed on the vertical wire rod 28 a andsnapped between the first camming member 302 and a horizontal wire rod30 of the door 12, as shown in FIG. 27. The spacer 374 may have anentrance that narrows down to a choke point similar to the slot 366 a sothat the spacer 374 may be snapped over the vertical wire rod 28 a androtatably secured thereto. Preferably, a height 376 of the spacer 374 issized so that the spacer 374 pushes the first camming member 302 so thatthe slot 366 b is pushed over or maintained over the horizontal wire rod30 of the door 12. Alternatively or in addition to the spacer 374, thefirst camming member 302 may be held in place by configuring the slot366 b in a similar fashion to the slot 366 a so that the slot 366 bsnaps over the horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12.

The horizontal wire rods 30 may extend and be wrapped around thevertical wire rod 28 a so that the door 12 can be rotated about thevertical wire rod 28 a. The horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12 thatis received into the slot 366 b does not wrap around the vertical wirerod 28 a. Rather, the horizontal wire rod 30 may be received into theslot 366 b and terminate there within. In FIG. 23, the horizontal wirerod 30 is being shown as being truncated to terminate within the slot366 b.

The second camming member 304 may be fixedly attached to the panel 16.The second camming member 304 may also have two slots 378 a, b. (seeFIGS. 23 and 35-38). The slots 378 a, b may be oriented perpendicular toeach other for receiving the vertical wire rod 28 a and the horizontalwire rod 26 of the panel 16. The slot 378 a may have an entrance thatstarts out wider than the outer diameter of the vertical wire rod 28 butchokes to a point that is narrower than the vertical wire rod 28 a. Theslot 378 a may have a cylindrical inner cavity that receives thevertical wire rod 28 a and has an inner diameter that is greater thanthe outer diameter of the vertical wire rod 28 a. In this manner, thesecond camming member 304 may be slid over the vertical wire rod 28 aand snap onto the vertical wire rod 28 a in order to retain the secondcamming member 304 to the vertical wire rod 28 a. Additionally, theother slot 378 b of the second camming member 304 may have a similarconfiguration to the slot 378 a in that the slot 378 b has an entrancethat starts out wider than an outer diameter of the horizontal wire rod26 of the panel 16 but narrows down to a choke point that is narrowerthan the outer diameter of the horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel 16.The slot 378 b has an inner cavity that ultimately receives thehorizontal wire rod 26 of the panel 16. This configuration allows theslot 378 b to snap over the horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel 16.Additionally, the horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel may extend throughthe second camming member 304.

The first camming member 302 imposes a downward force on the secondcamming member 304. As such, the second camming member 304 does notrequire a spacer 374 as is utilized to hold the first camming member 302in position with respect to the door 12.

The camming surfaces 334 a, b may contact each other so that the cammingsurfaces 334 a, b slide against each other during rotation of the door.The first and second camming members 302, 304 may be fabricated from amaterial that has a low coefficient of friction in order to facilitaterotational movement of the door 12 about the vertical wire rod 28 a andlifting of the door 12. The camming surfaces 334 a, b may also be coatedor embedded with an anti-friction material to further facilitaterotational movement of the door 12 about vertical wire rod 28 a. Thecamming surfaces 334 a, b may comprise a complex compound curved thatmates with each other throughout the entire rotation of the door 12except when the door 12 is in the closed position and dropped down tothe lowered position. The width of the camming surface 334 a may beequal to the width of the camming surface 334 b. Moreover, at least halfof the width of the camming surface 334 a may be in sliding contact withthe width.

When the door 12 is rotated from the opened position (see FIG. 24) tothe closed position (see FIGS. 29 and 30), the camming surfaces 334 a, bslide against each other in order to lift the door 12 upward in thedirection of arrow 380 due to the curved configuration of the cammingsurfaces 334 a, b. As the door 12 approaches the panel 16, a distal tip382 of the first camming member 302 slides against the camming surface334 b of the second camming member 304. The distal tip 382 of the firstcamming member 302 continues to slide against the camming surface 334 bof the second camming member 304 until the distal tip 382 reaches an end384 of the camming surface 334 b of the first camming member 304. Thisposition is also shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. When the door 12 is rotatedfurther, the distal tip 382 falls over the end 384 of the cammingsurface 334 b to bring the door 12 downward so that the latch 14 may beengaged. A downward protruding portion 386 of the first camming member302 is now disposed behind the vertical wall 388 of the second cammingmember 304 to prevent the door 12 from rotating back to the openedposition. Moreover, the latch 14 prevents the door 12 from rotating backto the opened position. In order to rotate the door 12 back to theopened position, the door 12 must be lifted vertically upward in orderto disengage the latch(es) 14.

Each of the systems 10, 100, 200 and 300 described herein may beutilized alone or in combination with each other.

Referring now to FIGS. 39-41, a clip 400 is shown. The clip 400 may bepivotally attached to a horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel 16. The clip400 may be about ¼ inch to about 1½ inches wide and fabricated from amaterial that allows the clip 400 to bend so that the clip 400 may berotated about the horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel in the directionof arrow 404 and engage and disengage the wire rod 30 of the door 12.The clip 400 may be attached to the horizontal wire rod 30 of the door12 when the door 12 is laid against the panel 16 and traversed to a downposition. This keeps the door 12 closed. To open the door, the clip 400is rotated to the disengaged position by disengaging the clip 400 fromthe horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12. The door is then traversed tothe opened position.

To engage the clip 400 to the horizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12, theclip 400 is rotated upward in the direction of arrow 404 shown in FIG.40. A front lip 406 of the clip 400 contacts the horizontal wire rod 30of the door 12. In order to latch the clip 400 to the horizontal wirerod 30 of the door 12, as shown in FIG. 41, the user must push the clip400 in the direction of arrow 408 (see FIG. 40). In doing so, the clip400 may bend so that the front lip 600 reaches over the horizontal wirerod 30 of the door 12. When the front lip 400 passes the horizontal wirerod 30 of the door 12, the clip 400 springs back to its normal positionand hugs the horizontal wire rod 30, as shown in FIG. 41. Since the clip400 is pivotally attached to the horizontal wire rod 26 of the panel 16,the door 12 cannot be traversed upward in order to unlock the door 12and traverse the door to the opened position.

To traverse the door 12 to the opened position, the user grips the frontlip 406 and lifts upward in the direction of arrow 410 so that the frontlip 406 rides over the horizontal wire rod 30 to be released from thehorizontal wire rod 30 of the door 12. The door 12 can now be traversedupward and laterally rotated to the opened position.

The clip 400 shown in FIGS. 39-41 was rotatably attached to thehorizontal wire rod of the panel and removably attachable to thehorizontal wire rod of the door. However, it is also contemplated thatthe clip 400 may be rotatably attached to the horizontal wire rod of thepanel and removably attachable to the horizontal wire rod of the panel.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of mounting or attaching thecamming members 10, 100, 200. Further, the various features of theembodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varyingcombinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to thespecific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims isnot to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vertical wall comprising: a panel fabricatedfrom a plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rods,the plurality of interconnected horizontal and vertical wire rodsarranged to form an opening for allowing an animal to pass through thepanel; a door fabricated from a plurality of interconnected horizontaland vertical wire rods, the door being pivotally hinged to a firstvertical wire rod of the panel and traversable between a closed positionand a closed position, the door being sufficiently large to cover theopening to block the opening and prevent the animal from passing throughthe opening of the panel when the door is in the closed position, andthe animal being capable of passing through the opening when the door isin the opened position, a bottom surface of a distal end portion of afirst horizontal wire rod of the door adjacent to the first verticalwire rod of the panel defining a camming surface configured to slideagainst a first horizontal wire rod of the panel as the door istraversed from the opened position to the closed position to lift thedoor upward; and a latch mounted to the panel or door which allows thedoor to be pivoted to the opened or closed position only by lifting thedoor upward to disengage the latch.
 2. The vertical wall of the claim 1wherein the panel is one of a plurality of panels that form a pet crateor a play pen for an animal.
 3. The vertical wall of claim 1 wherein thedistal end portion of the first horizontal wire rod of the door is bentto gradually extend downward.
 4. The vertical wall of claim 1 whereinthe first horizontal wire rod of the door is wrapped around the firstvertical wire rod of the panel.
 5. The vertical wall of claim 1 whereinthe latch is an inverted hook, upright hook, inverted tab or an uprighttab.
 6. The vertical wall of claim 1 wherein the caroming surface liftsthe door upward to at least a point so that the latch clears ahorizontal wire rod of the door or panel.
 7. The vertical wall of claim1 wherein the camming surface is closer to the first vertical wire rodof the panel compared to a free distal end of the door.
 8. The verticalwall of claim 1 further comprising a clip defining a first portionrotatably attached to a horizontal wire rod of the panel and a secondopposed portion removably attachable to a horizontal wire rod of thedoor, the second portion of the clip being curved or bent so that thehorizontal wire rod of the door is traversed over center of the secondportion of the clip when the clip is traversed between an engagedposition and a disengaged position.
 9. The vertical wall of claim 1further comprising a clip defining a first portion rotatably attached toa horizontal wire rod of the door and a second, opposed portionremovably attachable to a horizontal wire rod of the panel, the secondportion of the clip being curved or bent so that the horizontal wire rodof the panel is traversed over center of the second portion of the clipwhen the clip is traversed between an engaged position and a disengagedposition.